wfn.org | Lutherans in Puerto Rico Celebrate 100th Anniversary

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 30, 1998

LUTHERANS IN PUERTO RICO CELEBRATE 100TH ANNIVERSARY
98-35-196-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutherans in Puerto Rico will communicate a message
of hope to the world as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of the
Lutheran presence there.  The anniversary will be celebrated at a Global
Mission Event to be held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in San Juan.
     "Communicate Hope" will be the theme when more than 400 members of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gather at the event
organized by the ELCA's Division for Global Mission.
     "The Global Mission Event is about mission and mission is about
sharing Christ," wrote the Rev. Margarita Martinez in "Global Contact," a
newsletter produced by the ELCA's Division for Global Mission.  Mission-
minded Lutherans "seeking cross-cultural experiences will find a unique
opportunity to do so this year at the first Global Mission Event hosted by
Lutherans in Puerto Rico."  Martinez is ELCA associate director for global
events.
     For members of the ELCA's Caribbean Synod, the event will offer the
opportunity to celebrate with brothers and sisters from the United States.
They will learn about mission in the world and translate it into a renewed
missionary zeal for work in local communities, said Martinez.
     The theme text for the event is from the Christian Bible:  "We cannot
keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."  ELCA members will
come together to "celebrate, deepen our commitment to mission, grow in love
and care for each other and all God's creation," Martinez said.
     Emphasis will be on recognizing daily events as opportunities to
testify to Jesus, advocating a message of hope, declaring Christian
identity and equipping people to use today's technology as a tool for
Christian communication, according to Martinez.
     "Lutherans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands face many
challenges -- societal issues such as consumerism and secularism, and
identity issues about what it means to be Lutheran in Caribbean and Latin
American contexts," said Martinez.  "Our younger generations want to be
more involved in facing these challenges and help communicate the hope we
have in Jesus Christ."
     The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, will speak
at the event's opening celebration.  Dr. Jose Miguel Bonino will lead Bible
studies.  Miguel teaches liberation theology at the Evangelical Institute
for Higher Theological Studies (ISEDET) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
     The Rev. Francisco L. Sosa, bishop of the ELCA's Caribbean Synod,
will speak at GlobalFest.  "GlobalFest is an interactive festival of
sounds, dance and discovery," said Martinez.  "It will feature eight
geographic areas -- Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America,
Europe, the Middle East and North America."
     About 40 courses will be offered in four "global university"
sessions. Topics range from Lutheran domestic disaster response to the
beginning of Lutheran churches in Puerto Rico.  The ELCA's Caribbean Synod
will organize a special component celebrating the 100th anniversary of the
Lutheran church in Puerto Rico.
     ELCA missionary staff working in many countries will take part along
with international guests from partner churches around the world.  Music
will come from the Caribbean and Latin America, Africa, the Middle East,
Asia, North America and Europe.
     Three similar Global Mission Events were held last summer at the
University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, July 9-12; Rensselaer Polytechnical
Institute, Troy, N.Y., July 16-19; and at San Jose State University, San
Jose, Calif., July 23-26.

For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director 1-773-380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html